23 DAYS TO GO!

[Greg Stout]

September 23, 2007

Dear Fellow Tampa Police Officers and PBA Members:
It has been another great week for the takebackyourpba movement. We were in several roll calls across District One and spoke to quite a few officers there. Pat Lynch copied down several questions that were asked of us and posted them on our website, along with our answers. Please feel free to check them out and get our views on the issues. For all officers in District’s Two and Three we are coming to you soon.

This is a seminal moment for me. Kevin Durkin has posted some negative comments about me this past week on the official WCFPBA Web Site and made comments in roll calls about our entire group, Pat Lynch, Jimmy Meier, Chip DeBlock and me. I suppose that I could respond with equally negative comments and wallow in the mud with Kevin, but I choose not to. This is an election that is about issues and should not be clouded with innuendo.

Very simply your vote for us will ensure the following:

• Stopping secret meetings that are not posted on the PBA website in direct conflict with their own constitution and by-laws.

• Stopping the $25,000.00 annual presidential stipend as well as any others that may exist without our knowledge.

• Stopping the blatant withholding of information from our own board of directors.

• Stopping the credit card, cell phone and take home car program for the PBA secretary or administrator, or what ever they choose to call her.

• Stopping the spending without board knowledge.

• Adding an in-house attorney and giving any PBA member an immediate discount for personal legal services.

• Opening up the books and showing our finances.

• Being open and accountable to you, our members.

• Finding every available option for health care.

• Putting our plans in writing for you to see and to hold our feet to the fire.

• Auditing the PBA books on day one to give us a starting point.

And finally, making you proud to be a PBA member again. I have said before that I came from a Sheriff’s Office. I know just what it is like to work for one. It compares to Tampa Street, One Way! When I came to TPD and read our PBA contract, I know that I must have given or sent at least twenty of our contract books to my former co-workers to show them all the rights I suddenly had. I was elated. Any of you who came from another police department without PBA representation must have felt that way when you arrived here too. I want that feeling again and we can have it back.

The election is just weeks away, October 16 and 17, 2007. Please join with us,
Greg Stout for President, Pat Lynch for Senior Vice-President, Jimmy Meier for Second Vice-President and Chip DeBlock for Secretary.

Make them listen to us. Take back your PBA!

Thank you,


Greg Stout

Greg,

I don't think it should stop at getting rid of the "stipend". I think somebody should find out how long this has been gong on and demand that Kevin give the money back. It is ridiculous to think that he has been getting that $25k for the past few years considering that our dues supposedly "had" to go up.

I wouldn't be opposed to somebody contacting the SAO to find out if Kevn can be brought up for looting the fund for the "stipend" trick and the 65k secretary with her free leased car and free gas and 4 day weeks and 4 hour lunches. This guy needs to go IMMEDIATELY. I'm getting myself angry now so I'm gonna go.

He sure got ****y and I imagine he thought that he was untouchable. What a disgrace and waste of membership dues. Please get this new leadership in there fast and surely hope that they will be men of their word, and the PBA members will become the top priority again. Kevin let the HCSO contract situation fall apart because no research was done before the critical meetings and the HCSO Staff just sat there and blatantly stated NO to every proposal brought up by the PBA. It was a joke, except for the fact that it still leaves the HCSO deputies extremely underpaid and understaffed on the streets, among many other issues that were in dire need to be fixed. It ended with a large amount of pissed off deputies, who can't decide who to be more pissed at, the HCSO Staff or the PBA Staff? They just want answers and a strong effort on both sides.
A little communication wouldn't hurt either! Later....see ya at the vote!

Whats sad is that we have 3 full time officers (Rank) assigned to the PBA that are suppose to be dedicated to TPD issues only. Thats 120 hours a week. Makes you wonder if they were not doing things for other charters on our donated vacation and sick hours. Like working for the HCSO charter after they gave them the farm.

Whats sad is that we have 3 full time officers (Rank) assigned to the PBA that are suppose to be dedicated to TPD issues only. Thats 120 hours a week. Makes you wonder if they were not doing things for other charters on our donated vacation and sick hours. Like working for the HCSO charter after they gave them the farm.

It doesn't make me wonder if they were/are using our donated sick hours to do work for other agencies. I already know the answer to that one! Care to guess?